Showing posts with label Roma. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Roma. Show all posts

Thursday, February 7, 2008

french language in Krusevac

As I may already said, I am the only volunteer in Krusevac so it's not often that I speak french and I am always a bit surprised when people speak to me in french.
This week, I met 2 women, who spoke to me in my native language. 2 different women, with 2 different stories.

The first woman is named Katarina. She is a blondy 30-year-old french teacher in the public school Yovan Popovic. She came to the office when she heard by one of her student that there was a french volunteer. She was a bit shy to speak because her french is limited. She explained to me she become teacher few years ago, and then get 2 kids so she didnt work for 3 years and this year came back to school to teach french. I am surprised to listen her speaking a bad french and to think she teach this bad french language to her pupils. My friend Bojan is even a better speaker than her. She explained it's difficult for her to speak because she has never been to France because of the Visa's trouble and it's rare to see foreign people coming in Serbia, and in Krusevac. I have to meet this girl again, I can maybe help her to speak and to be a better teacher (at least she could teach to pronounce properly usual things as number...).

The second woman is an anonymeous lady. Around 50 or 60 years old. Gypsy woman that I met on the fontana square, in Krusevac. She is quite small, and few teeth are still in her mouth (but I could say for how long more). She stared to speak in serbian. When I told her I didnt speak a good serbian, she answered in a perfect french: Vous parlez francais?
Of course I do. "Tu sais, moi je vis ici, j'ai pas de papier, j'ai pas d'argent et pas de maison. Ici sans papiers quand on est vieux c'est past facile".
"Mais ou as-tu appris a parler aussi bien le francais, tu es tres forte, ton francais est parfait".
"Tu sais, moi j'ai habitez 20 ans a Paris, toujours sans papiers et sans maison, alors un fois vieille je suis revenue pres de ma famille. Mais tu sais c'est pas facile ici."


...

The woman was so amazing. Sometimes I dont understand this world where we live. Inegality because of one official document. What a contrast between those women. Why this competent lady can not have a life as good as this first woman...

Monday, January 14, 2008

She was 3 years old.

She was 3 years old, no more. On the street, sitting on the floor on her knees, with red big cheeks. Clothes torn, durty from the head to the feet. A little Roma girl as there are everywhere in the Balkan. Some other kids was all sitting together on the street, speaking to each other, the biggest one carried on the smallest one.

The little roma girl was alone. Alone with her little box in carton: her instrument to work, her box to beg. The box was empty and her eyes were sad. Wind comes, the box fly away, the little girl looks terrified, stand up to reach the box. I catched it. I give it back to her. Fuck, what is this world. I hate myself, to not be abble to do anything for her. I would like to save her, I would like to cry. I give her back the box, her job, look at her eyes, fondle her big red cheek, and leave.


She is probably still in the same street today, even more durty. She is only 3 years old, a little kid, who will probably never go at school, who will probably never do nothing else that to wait for some coins sitting on the street.


How is it acceptable?

Why does she need to have this life?